Our Family Trip to Disneyland!

I’m a big fan of Disneyland, as we have been taking family vacations here since I was a little girl.  When I was 21, I got a job at Disney World in Florida, and most recently I also worked for Disney Cruise Line (up until I became pregnant with Hudson).  I originally thought he might be a bit young to enjoy it, but he had the best time and we didn’t want to leave!

Best Disneyland Rides for Toddlers and which ones to Avoid! California is only a couple hours flight from Vancouver, so we decided to take a trip to Palm Springs with my parents.  Rather than spending an entire week there, the three of us drove down to Disneyland for a couple days!  We decided to stay at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel.  I always loved walking thru this hotel, and wanted easy access to the park so Hudson could take a mid-day nap.  This hotel is literally located inside Disney’s California Adventure, so we couldn’t be any closer!Now that we’ve stayed at Disney’s Grand California, I don’t think I would want to stay anywhere else. The room was perfect, with a balcony overlooking the pool.  They set up a crib in the room for Hudson, and made us a reservation to dine with the characters at breakfast!We took Hudson last summer to visit the Disney Wonder when she was docked in Vancouver on her way to Alaska.  At this time, he wasn’t too happy about meeting Mickey Mouse.  We didn’t want to push him, so I held him while we got a family photo.   This trip to Disneyland changed everything!  Hudson loved the characters, calling them by name, giving them high-fives and smiling the entire time. Because we stayed at a Disney hotel, we were given “Magic Morning” access to the park an hour before it opens.  We headed straight for Fantasyland, along with (what felt like) everyone else.  It was busier than I thought it would be for the 2nd week of January.  The first ride we took Hudson on was “Dumbo the Flying Elephant”.  It was so much fun, and he is still talking about it. “Dumbo Ride, Dumbo Ride”.  Toon Town was another great area for Hudson where he loved exploring Donald’s Boat and riding the train.We didn’t want to overdue it, but figured we would try to get in as many rides as we could in the morning.  That way we could go back to the hotel and put Hudson down for a nap around lunch time.  The Disneyland Railroad has always been one of my favorites, and we rode this back to the main entrance while Hudson fell asleep in my arms.  All that excitement, the poor little guy coudn’t keep his eyes open.We finally found the mickey balloons!  If you are looking for one while there, I can tell you now from experience they hang out on Main Street starting around 2:00pm.  We carried our red balloon around the entire afternoon and even all the way to the airport.  Mark had to de-flate it just before boarding the plane home.After Hudson’s nap at the hotel, we headed to Disney’s California Adventure.  There is a direct park entrance from our hotel which was so convenient.  Although California Adventure is geared towards older kids and adults, we still loved our time here.  The lines were pretty long, but “The Little Mermaid” was a short wait and we all enjoyed it!After Hudson’s nap at the hotel, we headed to Disney’s California Adventure.  There is a direct park entrance from our hotel which was so convenient.  Although California Adventure is geared towards older kids and adults, we still loved our time here.  The lines were pretty long, but “The Little Mermaid” was a short wait and we all enjoyed it!We had breakfast at “The Storyteller’s Cafe” at our hotel!  It was fantastic!  Hudson was free, and the adult breakfast buffet cost $44 each.  The food was mediocre, but it was so worth it to see Hudson’s face.  He had so much fun sharing his breakfast with Minnie and Chip & Dale!  After breakfast we headed down to the pool, which was fantastic!  They provided life jackets, water wings, even swim diapers!The sunset we experienced at the park was beautiful.  We headed back to Disneyland and did a few more rides after dark and had dinner. We had such a magical time at Disneyland, I truly didn’t want to leave.  Mark and I are both excited to return in a few years with Hudson and his little brother or sister.

Comment or ask your Disneyland questions below!

Xo, Candice